“I am heartbroken by the passing of my friend and mentor Cecile Richards,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson.
Robinson called Richards “a giant in the fight for freedom — an unwavering advocate for reproductive, workers’ and civil rights.”
Richards, daughter of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, died on Monday, Jan. 20, at the age of 67 from brain cancer. She headed Planned Parenthood for 12 years and founded the Texas Freedom Network. Among other things TFN advocates for LGBTQ rights.
TFN came into being in 1995 after Richards attended a Texas State Board of Education meeting where the religious right’s growing influence on public education shocked the progressive leader, according to a statement from TFN.
“During the meeting, Cecile slid a napkin over to a friend with a note that said, ‘It’s worse than I ever imagined,’” TFN wrote. “One month later, TFN was formed. In the 30 years since we’ve become an organizing home to thousands of grassroots activists across our state.”
Richards got her start in political organizing early in life. As a child, she worked alongside her mother, campaigning for Sarah Weddington — the lawyer who argued Roe v. Wade — during her race for the Texas House of Representatives.
One of Richards’ last major appearances was in August when she spoke at the Democratic National Convention. After Vice President Kamala Harris lost the November election, Richards wrote, “Those of us who have been at this a while have lived the truism that when you’re fighting for justice, you lose, you lose, you lose — and then you win. That’s especially true when it comes to the fight for reproductive freedom.”
Richards is survived by her husband, Kirk Adams, and three children: Lily, Hannah and Daniel.
— David Taffet